Wire stretcher



Nov. 13, 1962 A. GROSSNICKLE WIRE STRETCHER Filed April 11, 1960 3,063,678 WIRE STRETCHER Alex Grossnickle, Des Moines, Iowa, assignor to Grosco, Inc., Des Moines, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa Filed Apr. 11, 1960, Ser. No. 21,516 2 Claims. (Cl. 25480) This invention relates to wire stretching tools generally and more particularly to a positive grip, self-locking wire stretcher for tensioning a wire strand along a line of post supports.

In the construction of wire fences, it is desirable to place the wire fencing sections which extend between the individual supporting fence posts under tension, so that the Wire sections between the individual posts become relatively nonflexible. This wire tensioning operation is usually accomplished by the use of a manually operated wire stretching tool which is utilized to pull the wire along the line of fence posts.

It is a primary object of this invention to provide an improved wire stretcher which may be easily actuated by a simple manual operation.

Another object of this invention is to provide a Wire stretcher having a positive wire gripping action which becomes self-locking after the wire has been placed under a desired degree of tension.

A further object of this invention is to provide a wire stretcher which is adapted for utilization with fence posts of various shapes and sizes.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a wire stretcher which may be indiscriminately operated in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction about a post.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, the invention resides in the following specification and appended claims, certain embodiments and details of construction of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the wire stretcher of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 shows a plan elevation of the wire stretcher of the present invention in engagement with a fence post;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary view of the wire engaging portions of the wire stretcher of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a plan elevation showing the wire stretcher of the invention in the self-locking position.

Referring to FIGURE 1, the wire stretcher of the present invention indicated generally at 10, includes an elongated handle member 11 of stamped metal or other suitable material. One terminal end portion of handle member 11, indicated at 12, is bifurcated to provide two arm members 13 and 14 which extend in a substantially parallel relationship. The terminal end surfaces of arms 13 and 14 are contoured at 15, and a plurality of teeth 16 are cut or stamped into the contoured surfaces 15. A flat linkage member 17 is positioned between the arms 13 and 14 of the bifurcated handle 11 and is pivotally attached thereto by means of a pivot pin 18 extending through the arms 13 and 14. A lug member 19 is driven through an aperture 20 in the linkage member 17 so as to extend laterally beyond opposite sides of said linkage member. Lug 19 may be secured to the linkage member by any suitable means such as welding.

Extending through the end of linkage member 17 opposite to pivot pin 18, is a pivot pin 21 which pivotally secures two arm members 22 and 23 to the linkage member 17. Arm members 22 and 23 are placed on either side of the linkage member 17 and extend in a substantially parallel relationship therefrom. Protruding downwardly from the outer surfaces of arms 22 and 23 are two pointed spurs 24 and 25 which are formed closely adja- 3,953,678 Patented Nov. 13, 1962 "ice cent'to the pivot pin 21. Spurs 24 and 25 may be inte- :grally formed with the arms 22 and 23 by stamping, or

they may be attached by welding or some other suitable method.

Positioned between the terminal ends of the arms 22 and 23 opposite to pivot pin 21 is an elongated anchor arm 26. Anchor arm 26 is pivoted about a pin 27 which extends through the parallel arms 22 and 23. A pointed anchor spur 28 is formed at the free terminal end of the anchor arm 26.

Referring now to FIGURES 2, 3 and 4, the operation of the wire stretcher of FIGURE 1 includes aligning the pivot pin 21 with the face 29 of a fence supporting post 30 and also with a wire 33 which is to be tensioned. After the tool is thusly aligned, the anchor spur 28 of the anchor arm 26 is driven into the surface of the fence post 30 as shown at 31. With the anchor arm 26 so attached, the spurs 24 and 25 are driven into the surface of post 31) as shown at 32. Wire 33 is then placed between the contoured end 15 of one of the arms 13 or 14 and the stud member 19 as shown in FIGURE 2. With the wire so positioned, handle member 11 may be moved outwardly from post 30 until the wire 33 is wedged between the stud 19 and the teeth 16 as shown by FIGURE 3. Continued outward movement of the handle 11 forces the wire 33 around the stud member 19, thus increasing the tension of the wire. After the stud 19 has been moved beyond the center of pivot point 21, as shown in FIGURE 4, the handle 11 of the wire stretcher will automatically lock in position when released. This auto matic locking function allows an operator to release the handle 11 when the desired degree of tension has been placed on the wire 33, so that both hands may be utilized in stapling or otherwise attaching the wire to the post. Referring to FIGURES 2 and 4, it should be noted that handle member 11 is capable of movement throughout an arc of approximately 205", or until the stud 1% engages the rear surface 34- of the arm members 22 and 23. Because of its self-locking feature the handle 11 of the wire stretcher may be released at any point in the arc after the center of pivot pin 21 has been passed.

As stud member 19 projects laterally on either side of the linkage member 17, it cooperates with the ends 15 of arms 13 and 14 to provide oppositely opposed gripping surfaces so that either side of the wire stretcher may be used to accomplish the wire tensioning operation. Thus the handle 11 of the wire stretcher may be operated in a clockwise direction as shown by the drawings, or if desired, the wire stretcher can be turned over so that the handle operates in a counter-clockwise direction.

The wire stretcher of the present invention is readily adaptable for use with fence posts of various sizes and shapes. Because of its pivotal construction, the wire stretcher may be anchored to fence posts having contours other than those shown by the drawings. It will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention provides a simple and effective wire stretching apparatus for tensioning wire about a supporting post. This invention may be subject to numerous modifications well within the purview of the inventor, who only intends to be limited to a liberal interpretation of the specification and appended claims.

I claim:

1. A self-locking wire stretcher for tensioning a wire strand in cooperation with a support post comprising means attachable to the post, a linkage member having ends one of which is connected at a pivotal connection to said attachable means, a lug projecting laterally from said linkage member intermediate said ends, an elongated handle member pivotally connected at one end portion to said linkage member at the other end thereof, said end portion engageable with said lug, said end portion and said lug adapted to receive the wire strand therebetween on one side of said pivotal connection, said handle member being pivotally movable away from the wire strand such that said end portion clamps the wire strand against said lug, whereby continued movement of said handle member moves said linkage member to a position wherein the wire strand is moved to the opposite side of said pivotal connection.

2. A self-locking wire stretcher for tensioning a wire strand in cooperation with a support post comprising means attachable to the post, a linkage member connected at one end by a pivot pin to said attachable means, a handle having a bifurcated portion pivotally connected to said linkage member at the other end thereof whereby said bifurcated portion straddles said linkage member, a lug extended laterally from both sides of said linkage member and engageable by said bifurcated end portion, said lug and said bifurcated portion adapted to receive 4 the Wire strand therebetween on either side of said linkage member and on one side of said pivot pin, said handle movable from a position wherein the bifurcated portion is spaced from .the lug toward a position to engage said lug such that the wire strand is automatically clamped between said bifurcated portion and said lug, and wherein further movement of said handle moves said linkage member and the clamped wire to a position where the wire strand is on the other side of the pivotal connection to ettect a self-locking of the handle and the linkage member.

References Cited in the file of this patent 

